Tuesday, June 4, 2013

A Perfect Astoria-Style Picnic

It was hot the other day. I mean really really hot, and despite this, I decided to meet Dan during his lunch break and have a picnic in Central Park. Picking up a few Astoria provisions along the way, we had ourselves a lovely Astoria-style picnic, except in that "other" borough.

Pita Pan- I love me some Pita Pan for many reasons, one being that it's inexpensive, relatively healthy and easy to eat. For our picnic, I order two things, including their signature marinated chicken skewers (each one is only $1.65) as well as the falafel plate, which came with 5 large falafel balls, tahini sauce and warm pita. It was tasty and kept well in my picnic bag and made for good left overs too. 37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.204.1633

Watawa - Although we probably had enough to eat with Pita Pan's order, I couldn't resist getting a few sushi rolls and went with an order of spicy tuna, eel avocado and yellowtail scallion. I didn't know this, but since I got three, it came at a special price of $11, which is part of Watawa's lunch special (even on the weekends). The whole thing also comes with a side of miso soup and a salad. Overall, a fabulous value and food that traveled relatively well. 33-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.545.9596

Astoria Bier & Cheese- Ending things off at this specialty beer & cheese shop, I went for only the beer and got a peach wheat ale (RJ Rockers Son of a Peach) with a floral finish as well as a traditional pilsner (Abita). Picking them up right before the picnic was a good idea because they kept cool and the Abita was a 22 oz so we kept it going for a while. 34-14 Broadway, Astoria. 718.545.5588